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Monday, March 12, 2018

Countdown to Infinity War: Guardians of the Galaxy

Hands down, this is one of my absolute favorite movies. No, not just MCU or even comic book movies, but out of all movies I’ve ever seen, this one is at the top of the list. It’s one of very few movies I’ve ever seen in the theater more than twice, and one I’ve watched… probably close to 20 times in the 4 years since it was released. Not only that, but it’s also one of the MCU movies my bride really loves too! (she thinks most of them are boring)

I was going to link to my original review, but it looks like… I didn’t write one. 2014 was a rough year, so that’s not entirely a surprise.

So, who is this group? A rag tag bunch of assholes. Seriously, these are not nice people. They’re not heroes. There’s the earthling pirate, the raccoon mercenary bounty hunter, his walking talking (sort of) tree bodyguard, the assassin, and the vengeful muscle.

On the flip side, they’ve managed to grab the attention of Ronan the Accuser, a religious fanatic who wants the infinity stone that Peter… sorry, Starlord stole. And while they’re all assholes, they aren’t 100% dicks, so, with the power of friendship, they decide to try to stop Ronan from killing everyone.

Things I love about this movie: It’s goofy, and doesn’t try to hide it. Peter Quill, the abducted human kid raised in space, allows us to see the vibrant wild universe with both a bit of wonder, and also some solid tongue in cheek snippy comments. It doesn’t take itself seriously, even when the situation is serious. It’s fun, and the visuals, dialogue, and music all combine to make it the joyride that it is.

Let’s talk about the music… this 70’s soundtrack is not exactly what I’d call “quality music”! Yet they’re all songs that got a LOT of radio play, and they managed to fit them into the movie in such a perfect way that I can’t imagine it with any other music. And I’ve probably listened to the soundtrack at least twice as many times as I’ve seen the movie.

Things I don’t like: Ronan the Accuser. Like Thanos, I find him childish and boring. But weak 2D villains has been an issue in the MCU, with a few exceptions.